“The PATA Youth Symposium is a cornerstone of our commitment to the next generation of young tourism professional and highlights our continued dedication to enhancing the knowledge and skills of students seeking careers in travel and tourism”, said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. “We are extremely grateful to Gangneung-Wonju National University for their support and enthusiasm in hosting our Youth Symposium. In doing so, they are helping to enhance the development of tomorrow’s tourism leaders.”

The Youth Symposium takes place on the first day of the PATA Annual Summit 2018 programme taking place in Gangneung, Korea (ROK). The programme was developed with guidance from Dr. Markus Schuckert, Chairman of the PATA Human Capital Development Committee and Assistant Professor at the School of Hotel & Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Dr Markus Schuckert said, “It’s terrific and an honour to be hosted by Gangneung-Wonju National University. With this PATA Youth Symposium and together with our partners from the Korea Tourism Organization, we are happy to deliver an insightful and mind-opening event, empowering the student participants to plan and execute their successful career in the global tourism industry. Our speakers and industry panelists from the PATA Annual Summit will share their insights with the next generation of tourism industry professionals.Their contributions will be welcomed for what will be a truly interactive event.”

Prof. Sukjong Ham, Chief Professor of Tourism Management Department at Gangneung-Wonju National University added, “It is an honour for Gangneung-Wonju National University to host the PATA Youth Symposium on May 17, 2018. The event will be a good experience for the student participants in helping them to better understand world tourism affairs.”

“This year’s programme is especially notable as we are welcoming to the stage four former PATA Intern Associates in Ms Kim, Mr Lim, Mr Moon and Ms Wong, who have made exceptional advances in their careers. I look forward to seeing them again in Gangneung and hearing about their career development since leaving PATA,” added Dr. Hardy.

The symposium includes presentations on ‘Exponential and Innovative Thinking for Generation Z’, and ‘Steps 1 2 3 – On the way to ‘Going Large’ as well as an under 30 panel discussion on ‘Looking Forward: How to Develop Your Career Agenda in Tourism’. The event also features two interactive roundtable discussions on ‘How can you access career opportunities within the tourism industry?’ and ‘How can you prepare yourself for the international tourism industry?’

Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines and airports, 108 hospitality organisations, 72 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond, as well as over a hundred young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 20 PATA student chapters globally. The chapters and student chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership in Uniting Travel, a coalition of the world’s major Travel & Tourism organisations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with one voice and acts in unison on the major issues and includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney and London. Visit www.PATA.org.